Claw

Animal-induced conditions in humans predominantly present as infectious zoonoses. However, trauma-associated injuries from the teeth or claws can also occur. Several zoonotic infections can be transmitted by cats, a common household pet, to their owners. The clinical features of a woman who developed multiple sites of trauma-induced cutaneous punctures from her cat's paws while it was kneading on her clothes-covered abdomen are described. The repetitive insertion and withdrawal of the sharp tips of the cat's claws created distinctive groups of erythematous punctures on the patient's skin...

Simulium (Simulium) rasuli sp. nov. is described from two females collected by a Malaise trap in Genting Highlands, Peninsular Malaysia. This new species is placed in the Simulium christophersi species-group of the subgenus Simulium. The female of this new specie is characterized by the scutum with three longitudinal vittae, dark legs, claw with a small subbasal tooth, and ovipositor valve triangular with its inner margin nearly straight. This new species is distinguished in the female from all the six named species of the species-group by the entirely brownish-black femora and tibiae...

Amphibian species are experiencing population declines due to infection by the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), an asymptomatic carrier of Bd, has been implicated in the spread of this pathogen through global trade and established invasive populations on several continents. However, research has not explored the relationships of both life stages of this amphibian with Bd. While the post-metamorphic individuals may act as a reservoir, spreading the infection to susceptible species, the filter-feeding larvae may consume the motile Bd zoospores from the water column, potentially reducing pathogen abundance and thus the likelihood of infection...

The creation of mutant lines by genome editing is accelerating genetic analysis in many organisms. CRISPR/Cas9 methods have been adapted for use in the African clawed frog, Xenopus, a longstanding model organism for biomedical research. Traditional breeding schemes for creating homozygous mutant lines with CRISPR/Cas9-targeted mutagenesis have several time-consuming and laborious steps. To facilitate the creation of mutant embryos, particularly to overcome the obstacles associated with knocking out genes that are essential for embryogenesis, a new method called leapfrogging was developed...

The β-thymosins are a group of structurally related, highly conserved intracellular small peptides in vertebrates with various biological functions, including cytoskeletal remodeling, neuronal development, cell migration, cell survival, tissue repair and inhibition of inflammation. In contrast to vertebrates, the function of β-thymosin is not fully understood in crustaceans. Previously, we found that a thymosin-repeated protein1 (CqTRP1) gene was up-regulated after white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) challenge in haematopoietic tissue (Hpt) cells from the red claw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus...

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review. OBJECTIVES: To report the results of an alternative technique using a minimally invasive fusionless surgery. The originality is based on the progressive correction of the deformities with proximal and distal fixation and on the reliability of the pelvic fixation using ilio-sacral screws on osteoporotic bones. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinal deformities are common in neuromuscular diseases. Conventional treatment involves bracing, followed by spinal instrumented fusion...

The present article presents a short summary concerning the pathomechanisms and clinical presentation of foot deformities in Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome. Furthermore, a classification system is introduced and based on a recently performed review of the literature an operative treatment algorithm is provided. The operative technique of the following surgical procedures is described in more detail: 1. dorsiflexion osteotomy at the base of the 1st metatarsus, 2. dorsiflexion osteotomy at the base of a lesser metatarsal bone, 3...

Gastrodia kachinensis, a new species of Orchidaceae, is described and illustrated from Putao, Kachin State, Myanmar. It is morphologically similar to G. gracilis, presumably its nearest relative, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by having perianth tube with punctate outer surface, verrucose outer surface of sepal lobe, orbicular petals, ovate-elliptic lip with truncate apex and auriculate-clawed base, glabrous lip apex with a pair of twin protuberance-like lamellae and column with a pair of blade-like lateral wings and acute stelidia at apex...

BACKGROUND: Dislocated metatarsophalangeal joints from clawed or hammer toes can be a disabling consequence of several conditions. The Cobb-Stainsby forefoot arthroplasty combines partial phalangectomy (Stainsby) with extensor tendon transfer to the metatarsal head (Cobb). We present a retrospective, three surgeon case series of 215 toes in 126 patients. METHODS: Early results and complications were gathered from the medical charts of 126 patients who met the inclusion criteria...

RATIONALE: In this study, a case of toe keloid after nail extraction is presented, in which the keloids on both toes were resected by surgical excision. Keloids (from the Greek word meaning "crab's claw") are fibrous growths that extend beyond the original area of injury to involve the adjacent normal skin. In general, keloid tendencies appear to be regionally isolated to keloid-prone areas, such as the chest, ears, and deltoid regions, whereas the hands and feet are usually spared, which is why this case is meaningful...

Indigenous North American populations, including American Indian and Alaska Native peoples in the United States, the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in Canada and Amerindians in Mexico, are historically under-represented in biomedical research, including genomic research on drug disposition and response. Without adequate representation in pharmacogenetic studies establishing genotype-phenotype relationships, Indigenous populations may not benefit fully from new innovations in precision medicine testing to tailor and improve the safety and efficacy of drug treatment, resulting in health care disparities...

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between lameness scoring and clinical findings. The lameness scoring and a gait assessment took place during drying off, the first week after calving and two months after calving in 29 lame and 27 free of lameness cows. In between the farmer scored the lamness. Most of the lameness occurred in the hind limbs and were most frequently caused by dermatitis digitalis, Mortellaro, Limax, and Rusterholz sole ulcer. The mean duration of lameness after treatment was 26 days (median 16 days) and was significantly longer in case of horn lesions than in skin lesions (including interdigital dermatitis)...

BACKGROUND: Anopheles funestus has been recognized as a major malaria vector in Africa for over 100 years, but knowledge on many aspects of the biology of this species is still lacking. Anopheles funestus, as with most other anophelines, mate through swarming. A key event that is crucial for the An. funestus male to mate is genitalia rotation. This involves the 135° to 180° rotation of claspers, which are tipped with claws. This physical change then enables the male to grasp the female during copulation...

Palaeontology developed as a field dependent upon comparison. Not only did reconstructing the fragmentary records of fossil organisms and placing them within taxonomic systems and evolutionary lineages require detailed anatomical comparisons with living and fossil animals, but the field also required thinking in terms of behavioural, biological and ecological analogies with modern organisms to understand how prehistoric animals lived and behaved. Yet palaeontological material often worked against making easy linkages, bringing a sense of mystery and doubt...

Vertebrate eye development is complex and requires early interactions between neuroectoderm and surface ectoderm during embryogenesis. In the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, individual eye tissues such as the retina and lens can undergo regeneration. However, it has been reported that removal of either the specified eye field at the neurula stage or the eye during tadpole stage does not induce replacement. Here we describe a model for investigating Xenopus developmental eye repair. We found that tailbud embryos can readily regrow eyes after surgical removal of over 83% of the specified eye and lens tissues...

A central tenet of ecoimmunology is that an organism's environment shapes its optimal investment in immunity. For example, the benefits of acquired (relatively pathogen specific) versus innate (nonspecific) immune defenses are thought to vary with the risk of encountering familiar versus unfamiliar pathogens. Because pathogen communities vary geographically, individuals that travel farther during seasonal migration or natal dispersal are predicted to have higher exposure to novel pathogens, and lower exposure to familiar pathogens, potentially favoring investment in innate immunity...

The Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), a freshwater crocodilian endemic to China, is one of the most endangered crocodilian species; up to this date, very little is known about the endocrine regulation of its metabolic activities during different physiological states. In this study, we characterized the structure of the prepro-vasoactive intestinal peptide in Chinese alligator (prepro-caVIP) for the first time and examined its expression profiles in various tissues during the active and hibernating periods...